


Tabris

by Hero_of_Denerim



Series: Welcome to Warden Academy [2]
Category: Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, City Elf Origin, Gen, Light Angst, Modern AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-31
Updated: 2016-08-31
Packaged: 2018-08-12 05:14:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7921870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hero_of_Denerim/pseuds/Hero_of_Denerim
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A reinterpretation of the City Elf Origin.</p><p>Tabris tries to raise funds for the annual wedding ceremony in their alienage. But the celebrations don't progress as planned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tabris

Kallian took a step back and proudly examined the tiny makeshift booth. They had put it up just at the edge of the Denerim marketplace, with all the wooden planks they could spare. No two pieces were similar, and so the different shades of brown made for a cheerfully unorganised look. The thicker planks, mounted at the top, had been crudely carved, displaying mabaris, crowns, and leaves. Shianni had even produced a red and golden chequered cloth out of nowhere, which now covered the counter. I could hardly look any more Fereldan now.

Pleased with the result, she gently brushed her fingertips over the wood. Being their most recent project, working on it had managed to occupy a large portion of their community. The older children had tended to the planks, while the younger ones helped with mixing the lemonade. Those who were troubled with sitting quietly for too long, chased off to scavenge elfroot from all the hidden pockets of the district, and embrium from between the roots of the vhenadahl.

The last couple of days had served as a much-needed, pleasant distraction, with everyone working together. Kallian still smiled, when she thought back to the carefree children she supervised. Little things like these made life so much more bearable… If only they had more events like this.

“Less admiring, more helping, cousin, yeah?” Shianni teased her, while she carefully placed a stack of paper cups on the counter. She blew a flick of red hair out of her eyes and grinned. “If we sell enough today, we might get the good decoration this year!”

Kallian joined her in their booth and started rummaging through the different boxes on the ground. Somewhere, in one of them, they had thrown their sign, when they had packed everything together the night before. She slowly became annoyed, when she also didn’t find it in the last box she searched. Suddenly, she felt a light clap on her back. Her cousin, grin even wider than before, lifted their paper sign; a few children had joyfully painted “fresh lemonade” onto it, and had added leaves and bubbles. “Looking for this?”

With a still somewhat irritated huff, Kallian snatched the sign out of her cousin’s hands. “You could have said something, you know,” she grumbled half-heartedly. She then gingerly placed it on the edge of counter, aligning it with the outer rim.

“Oh, you were just distracted because of tomorrow! Admit it, cousin, I’ve seen your dreamy smile whenever you talk about the wedding.” Shianni punched her playfully into her side and laughed at her exaggerated groan. “And I heard he is pretty easy on the eye, too.” Her gaze softened a bit, and she took Kallian’s hands into her own. “You will grow fond of each other, believe me.”

Kallian only smiled in return. She didn’t have the heart to tell Shianni that she cared more about the community than her own sake. Tomorrow’s wedding ceremony was the annual highlight in the alienage, and she would not dare to spoil that for anyone. She had volunteered to organise it long before her father had told her about her own match, and she had declined to step down afterwards. If she could make one child smile, just the way she had smiled when she was little, all her efforts had paid off.

She wasn’t excited about meeting her intended, a mere day prior the event. She had heard a lot about him; mostly endearing things the elders or her father had told her, certainly hoping to ease her nerves. Still, she wasn’t overly keen on everything that would follow the ceremony. But if that would help to give her people hope, another of those few precious moments they could cling onto when times got rough again… She would do anything for that. If that meant she would have to marry, she would marry.

Both elves stood inside their booth, huddled together, and watched the other merchants bustling across the square to set up their stalls for the day. Kallian counted themselves fortunate that they got the arl’s explicit endorsement for their little business, they wouldn’t have been able to pay the stand fee. If they had been allowed to sell lemonade at the market place at all. Otherwise they would have had to stick close to the entrance to the alienage; and those who did make their way to their district were either elves themselves or other Denerim citizens who didn’t own much.

No, their current spot was the best they could have hoped for. It was the least the arl could do for them after withdrawing his sponsorship offer just a week ago. Without a human to legitimise their business, the wedding would be woefully lifeless.

Kallian’s nails dug into her palms. Always looked down upon, always forced to make ends meet, always expected to be thankful for the crumbs the humans allowed them to keep. Yet here she stood, bracing herself to pander to these very people that treated her and her community with unveiled disdain… Humans were not kind to them, or anyone they deemed to be beneath them.

She forcefully blinked. Now was not the time for anger. Elves were supposed to act demure and quiet towards humans, so she would play this role. For her alienage’s sake.

Shortly after the other stalls had been set up, small groups of people began to stroll leisurely across the square. Without any sign of hurry, they examined ornate décor elements, handcrafted jewellery, and cheap and colourful trinkets at the different stands. They sauntered at a sluggish pace, and it struck Kallian once again, that they simply didn’t to hurry. They didn’t have to appear somewhere on time, afraid to lose another job because of a half-hearted excuse. They didn’t struggle each day to enable a better life for their children. She could feel her cheeks heat up at those thoughts. While they were out browsing wares, elven workers cleaned their houses, prepared their meals, took care of their children. And they had the audacity to call them lazy for declining the third twelve-hour shift in a row; they called them greedy when they asked for a raise to balance out grocery markups; they called them ungrateful when they had to stay and care for a sick child.

Kallian let out the breath she didn’t realise she had held. She wouldn’t lash out, she couldn’t, she needed to stay calm, collected. An incident now, today, and everything they had worked for, all the progress they had achieved, everything for naught. Later this day, she would meet with the arl of Denerim, as no less than an appointed speaker for the alienage, and she would propose new projects to further integration. She had sketched out plans for law reforms, to help them lead better lives, find better work, earn fair wages… But only if they didn’t step out of line now. They fail in any way, and the opportunity is gone, without prospect of a new one any time soon. The lemonade venture had to run smoothly.

She registered Shianni’s worried glance out of the corner of her eye, but a group of women was approaching them, babbling loudly over each other. Quickly, she masked her fury with that superficially pleasant but blank expression humans seemed to like so much.

“Can I interest you in this refreshing lemonade, my ladies?” she asked them and gestured towards the jar Shianni had just pulled out of their cooler, small beads of water dripping from it. The women looked flattered because of course they would, and they laughed their carefree laugh as they drew closer. Kallian looked to the sides, dramatic enough so they would notice, and lowered her voice to a whisper, coercing them to move even nearer. “We got this recipe from the palace staff.” She winked at them ostentatiously. “We were assured that the queen drinks one flagon of this each day to preserve her youth. And I’m sure you have seen her lately? She looks radiant! We heard that the king didn’t leave their private rooms once when she started drinking it.” Her salacious implications were met with more giggling, one woman even blushed, and each bought a cup before they continued wandering the square and wasting their money.

Kallian smirked. It was almost too easy to read them, their desires written plainly all over their faces. She knew how to appeal to their pride, she had learned what they wanted to hear. A group of lanky young men bought some cups because she made them believe the local police force would drink it between their drills; she told another group that circle scientist consumed this forbidden Tevinter drink to enhance their minds; some couples thought it was a mixture created by Rivaini seers to increase pleasures of all kinds, and when a particularly insecure looking boy sneaked back and purchased a whole flagon, she almost felt sorry.

None of them doubted they were offered such a miraculous beverage nor wondered how elves got their hands on its recipe. Instead, with their signature self-righteousness, they demanded to be served. All flattery and pleasantries, the two elves were only too happy to oblige, and ignored the muttered slurs when they couldn’t fill the cups fast enough.

After two hours, Kallian marked up the prices, and one hour after that, they were sold out. The groups that had wandered between the stalls were dispersing slowly. Shianni stared at her cousin incredulously as the two of them joined the merchants in packing up. “I always forget how well you do that! I mean, I know, but… I somehow expected for something to go wrong.”

Kallian snorted in response and slowly disassembled their stall. “Good thing we didn’t, right? I consider that as a warm up for later. If I persuaded the arl just as easily, we could turn up the celebrations tomorrow.” She stopped to look at her cousin. Shianni’s expression was weary, tired. Just like all the other elves in Denerim. She grabbed the cash box and handed it to her. “How much did we make today, anyway?”

Shianni briefly scanned the contents, and a smile lit up her features. “Enough to buy the fancy stuff! It will be beautiful,” she gushed in childlike amazement. “So… Can we squeeze in some time for shopping?”

Before Kallian could answer, they heard someone cough behind them, and they spun around wary of the sudden intruder. Soris stood in front of them, blond hair tousled as usual.

“I didn’t think you’d show up! I thought you wanted to help us?” Shianni mocked him.

The other elf grimaced sheepishly. “I- yes, but, you see… I was caught up in my preparations for tomorrow, and I lost track of time…”

“Busy with dreaming of your bride-to-be, you mean,” Shianni retorted with a knowing smirk.

Soris blushed and lifted his hands. “Actually, I tried to figure out how long I needed to travel until I found a Dalish encampment-“ he paused, irritated by Shianni’s sudden outburst of laughter. “Yes, I would find them if I wanted to! But I’m in time to accompany you to city hall, right?” he tried to change the subject.

Kallian and Shianni exchanged a glance. When Kallian shrugged, the latter turned back to him and only drawled, “You are certainly in time for shopping!”

 

***

 

“What do you mean, our meeting has been ‘rescheduled’?” Kallian glared at the clerk in front of her. “We made this appointment weeks ago, and the arl wouldn’t even notify us?”

The woman behind the desk glanced down briefly, not even attempting to veil her utter lack of interest in the three elves and their matter; almost immediately she returned her full attention to the bulky screen in front of her almost immediately.

Kallian was almost rendered speechless. They wouldn’t be treated this way if they were human! Forcefully swallowing down both her rage and her pride, she tried again. “Listen,” she checked the desk for a name plate, and chewed on her lower lip when she didn’t find one, “Miss, this meeting is of greatest importance to us, and we talked about the date with arl himself at his last visit at the alienage. He, in person, has assured us, that he would take care of our concerns personally, as the lives, and living conditions, of all his charges are very dear to him.

“Being such a responsible, fair man… Postponing an important meeting without informing all affected parties just doesn’t fit Mr Kendells, does it, Miss?”

The clerk turned to them, her face warped by a small sneer. “No, it does not,” she drawled in an uncomfortably shrill voice. “However, he was called away to an emergency only half an hour ago. He didn’t have time to convey his apologies. You can sign up online to be messaged when we have a vacancy. You do have access to the fade in your-” she frowned and paused, “-district?”

Kallian desperately wanted to wipe that condescending smirk off her face. Before she could react, the clerk shut down her counter and disappeared into an adjacent room. So, she turned around, only for her to see her cousins’ expressions mirrored her own frustration. She squared her shoulders. Not today. She would not allow this person to dishearten them like this. “There is nothing left for us here. Let’s go back. We need to finish the preparations.”

The main entrance door flung open of a sudden, and a young man marched inside. Two others stepped inside after him. The first stopped in his tracks when he spotted them, and motioned the others to follow him as he started to approach the elves. His arms spread as widely as his grin, he eventually stopped beside them. “How did you get here? Did you escape your slum?” Goaded by his friends’ cheering, he pressed on. “Don’t worry, little elves, we won’t tell on you. But our silence has a price.”

“Back off, you filthy pigs,” Shianni snarled at them.

The leader of the pack lifted his hands in mock defence. “Now, now. We only want to have a little fun.” In a split second, he grabbed her wrist and yanked her closer to him. “Relax, you will like it. Or won’t. I like the ones with spirit-“

With a violent outcry, Shianni slapped him across the face. He released her immediately, hand now pressed against his cheek, and backed off. “You will not get away with this, knife-ear bitch!” he spat, voice pitching high. “Wait till my father hears about this!” He stormed out, his devotees quickly followed suit.

Kallian looked at her cousin, gaze fixed on her hand. Feeling an odd mix of concern and pride, she couldn’t help but to feel impressed. This was not the Shianni she knew.

“Do you realise what you just did?” Soris’ barely audible whisper gave her pause. He had taken a step back, fists clenched and eyes wide. She had never seen him this frightened.

“That was Vaughan Kendells, the arl’s son! We are done for!”

Shianni, now on the verge of tears, looked up from her hand and stared at her cousin. “W-what?” she stammered, her voice breaking, as her legs gave away under her and she collapsed in a heap. “No… No! But he- I…”

Kallian knelt down beside her and gently brushed her cousin’s hair out of her face. “Don’t worry. He is too much of a self-absorbed prick to tell anyone about this.” Shianni sniffed weakly, and Kallian looked up to Soris. “Let’s get out of here, before more show up.” He nodded, and together they helped Shianni back to her feet.

Their way back to the alienage was silent, and awkward. Luckily, the sun began to set, and Denerim’s streets were empty, so they didn’t encounter many. When they did, they huddled closely together, and rushed passed, their gaze fixed at the cobblestone road.

As soon as they arrived in the alienage, Shianni dashed into her flat and slammed the door shut behind her. Kallian caught Soris’ concerned gaze. “She will be okay,” she tried to reassure both him and herself. “Tomorrow she will be herself again.”

He nodded absent-mindedly, sunken in his own thoughts. She could see doubt flicker in his eyes, but he didn’t speak up against her. He wanted it to be true as much as she did, she realised. He flashed her one last half-apologetic smile before he, too, left for his appartment.

With her cousins gone and the alleyways empty, Kallian stood alone under the branches of the vhenadahl. She looked up to its majestic crown, filtering the faint moonlight. Sighing, she placed her hands on the trunk. Not for the first time, she searched for a connection to her roots, to the stories she heard as a child. She tried to bond with the tree, its dark and rough bark, and the dark green leaves. But not for the first time, she didn’t feel anything. The vhenadahl was just a very old, gnarled tree.

Glancing back at Shianni’s apartment one last time, she also walked off to her flat.

 

***

 

A brushed kiss on her forehead woke her up. The first thing she saw upon opening her eyes was her father’s smile as he looked down at her. “Good morning, my dear. The wedding will start soon, and I’m sure you don’t want to miss it.”

Kallian rubbed the sand out of her eyes. “What time is it…” her voice trailed off when she glanced at the clock. A sudden surge of panic hit her, pulling the last remains of sleep out of her. The whole square needed to be decorated! She jumped out of bed and frantically grabbed for her clothes on the chair beside her, all the while cursing herself under her breath. How could she sleep that long when there was so much that needed to be done, so much she-

Her hands found purchase in the heap of clothing, but the fabric felt unfamiliar. She paused, puzzled, and cautiously tugged it free from the rest. It was a dress, white and floor-length. The material was delicate and pleasantly cool to her touch, and she could only guess how expensive it might have been to have it made. Out of words, she looked back to her father, who smiled sheepishly. “It was your mother’s. I thought you might… Unless you don’t want to… I should have asked you…”

Kallian flung her arms around his neck, cutting him off. “No! Thank you, it’s perfect!”

He let out a relieved huff. “I’m glad you like it. Shianni will be her soon to help you change. I need to check on a few things, but I’ll be back in time to meet you before it starts. I promise.” He untangled himself from her hug, and winked at her before he stepped out of the door.

She focused back on the dress. This was her mother’s…? Her hands ran over the fabric, fingers merely ghosting over it, afraid she might accidentally tear it.

“Hi you! Are you ready for your big day?”

Shianni’s voice startled her back to reality. She hadn’t heard her enter the flat. Her cousin’s airy tone brought a smile on Kallian’s face, however. Yesterday’s events had had no effects after all. She stood up, and walked to the middle of her room, so her cousin could help her with her dress.

Today was her wedding day… She had expected to feel different, though. Wasn’t she supposed to be excited, afraid, or at least nervous? Yet she felt nothing, strangely empty and detached.

She was only partly aware of Shianni’s work. It took a while until she realised her cousin had stepped aside, and she looked up.

The mirror in front of her showed a fragile, gentle looking elven girl, her long, pale hair intricately braided and decorated with small, pastel blue paper flowers. A delicate blush had settled across her cheeks, and her eyes filled with childlike wonder.

The dress hugged her torso, emphasising her slender built, and flared out slightly below her waist, dancing around her legs when she turned. This let her see her feet, partly hidden under the seam; they were bare, toes curling upon the scrutinising look.

She looked so elegant, so natural, it was hard to imagine her wearing torn denims and oversized sweaters. The girl in the mirror had so little in common with her, Kallian only recognised herself from the mimicked movements.

Over her shoulder, she could see Shianni, hands clasped together in front of her chest. “You are beautiful,” she only whispered, voice filled with awe. Then, her eyes went wide. “I almost forgot,” she shouted, and reached behind her. She retrieved a pale blue crown, and placed it gingerly on her cousin’s head. Inspecting it closer, Kallian saw it was crafted with the similar paper flowers as the ones woven into her braid.

“Now we can present you to the crowd. And to your intended, no less!” She couldn’t help but grin as her cousin grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of the flat. Her father was already waiting next to the entrance, also changed into formal clothes.

“She’s all yours, Cyrion,” she beamed at him, before released her cousin and darted towards the vhenadahl square.

He looked at her, eyes brimming with tears, and no word would escape him. His gaze, however, was filled with such enormous pride and love, that Kallian could feel tears on her own, threatening to ruin her carefully applied make-up. Her father leaned towards her, and brushed his lips over her forehead. “You and your mother are so much alike, my dear,” he murmured, more to himself than to her, but she smiled at him all the same. She took his arm, when he offered it, and they slowly walked towards the square as well.

Only now Kallian took in her surroundings. Where the alienage had been dull and muddy the day before, it was now vibrant. The street lights had been adorned with garlands, spanning from lamppost to lamppost all the way to the main square, flapping lazily in the air. The ground was covered in layers of thick, dark green leaves, rustling softly under their bare feet.

When they came closer to the centre, she felt her jaw drop in awe. The large, old tree had been decorated with countless of paper flowers, ribbons, and garlands, filling its crown even more. It itself seemed to glow, a soothing presence; moments like these made it easy to believe the vhenadahl was more than just a tree.

Directly next to the tree, a small stage had been set up. As they got closer, Kallian recognised it was built from the same wooden planks they used for their stall yesterday. Paper vines wound around the railings, sprouting from two baskets nudged into the rear corners of the stage, with even more flowers spilling from them as well.

At the stage, she made out three figures; two in traditional elven festive garb, Soris and her fiancé she presumed; and the other in the red and white robes of a Chantry mother. Her smile deepened. Mother Boann had always been kind to them, and had welcomed the elves as the Maker’s children. And she respected their elven traditions, few as they were. The last weddings she had officiated had felt so peaceful and… simply right.

They made their way towards the stage, through the parting crowd of elves. Kallian saw their smiles, their joy, and her own heart grew lighter at that. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw another pair aiming for the stage; Soris’ fiancée. They met at the bottom of the stairs, the fathers kissing their daughters’ cheeks and retreating into the crowd, while Kallian and the other bride, also dressed into a beautifully crafted gown, slowly ascended the steps. They halted opposite to their fiancés.

No one spoke, the whole square was silent.

Then Mother Boann started the ceremony, introducing brides and grooms and weaving a tale about their roles in the Maker’s will. Yet Kallian barely listened. Her gaze wandered. From her cousin Soris, nervously shuffling from one foot to the other, yet never leaving his eyes of his fiancée; her own fiancé, Nelaros as she had learnt, tall and slender and proud, returning her look with a reassuring smile; Mother Boann, all grand gestures and soft voice, captivating the crowd with her story; Shianni, wearing that loose, sky-blue dress that brought out the shine in her eyes, and her wide grin; her father, a few tears escaping over his cheeks, leaning on a stranger, dark-skinned and black-haired, both smiling up to them. She watched the children and the elderly, all of them looking up dreamily. And she was content.

Everyone was happy.

Prompted by the mother, Shianni gracefully leapt onto the stage, producing a small, polished grey box. “You shall now exchange your wedding bands with your vows before the Maker,” she exclaimed, and opened the box, revealing the rings inside. Tastefully forged from silverite and ironbark, their simplicity was matched by their beauty. The contrast between the shining light metal and the smooth dark wood was outstanding.

Mother Boann took the first set out and turned to her and Nelaros, but before she could ask them to speak their vows, a small commotion from the crowd caught their attention. Elves stumbled to the sides, and those who weren’t fast enough, were shoved onto the ground. Kallian immediately recognised them, as they reached the stairs.

Vaughan and his goons, now entering the stage, but this time they were accompanied by a squad of cops. Without hesitating, he jumped the last bit of the stairs, the wood aching underneath his heavy landing. He grinned, so wide it seemed to split his face, and turned to the elves.

“I must ask you to leave, you interrupt this very-“ He cut of the mother’s plea with one look at her. Instead, he stepped closer to the elven women.

“We are hosting a party and are unfortunately short of female guests,” he drawled, eyeing the brides. “And since you have nothing better to do-“ he threw another look at the mother, “- you will join us.” He grabbed Kallian’s arm to emphasise his point. Her surprised yelp only earned her a sneer, so she pressed her lips shut. If she complied, maybe he would leave the others… As he yanked her towards the stairs, her fiancé stepped forward. “Let go of her,” he demanded through gritted teeth, his fists clenched to his sides, and his gaze burning with just contained anger. “Leave us, and we will forget this.”

Vaughan stared at him, perplex, for a second, before he burst out in laughter. “Do you really think I’d care what you knife-ears want?” He pushed the elf towards the back of the stage, knocking over one basket which sent him tumbling to the floor. Without batting an eye, Vaughan motioned his followers to grab the others while he scanned the crowd.

“Where is… Ah!” His eyes narrowed as he found Shianni. “The bitch that slapped me. I will enjoy your company first.” He briefly glanced back at Kallian, his grip still tight around her wrist. “And you will be next.”

Something inside her snapped. She wasn’t certain if it was his threat or Shianni’s fearful expression, but she yanked her arm free. And when Vaughan turned to her, his unnerving grin now replaced by a frown, she hit him; with the back of her hand, and all the force she could put inside it, she hit him across his face, having him staggering backwards this time. He lost his footing and fell on his behind, with her towering over him. Satisfaction pulsed through her as she saw his previous smugness has turned into fear. She would not tolerate his behaviour any longer!

She lifted her hand again, only so slightly, but the way he winced was priceless to her. Before she could strike out again, however, cool metal clasped around her wrist and pulled her hand down.

“Arrest them! Arrest all of them,” Vaughan screeched, and the cops scrambled to obey, cuffing the other elves onstage, or herding the crowd of the square. One after the other, they were lead out of the alienage, and pushed into the cars waiting outside.

The drive to jail was silent, and dragged out for longer than she liked. Each attempt of her to coax information from the cops was blocked with more silence, leaving her frustrated. When she gave up, Kallian’s thoughts were spinning. What had happened?

Eventually, she was shoved into a cell with Shianni and Soris’ fiancée, Valora, without any further explanation. They tried to pass their time, but most of their tense conversation prompts were left unanswered, whenever they heard footsteps on the corridor behind the door. So they gave up trying to talk, and cowered in the cell instead.

Much later that day, the door finally opened, and a man dressed in an expensive looking suit appeared in the frame, flanked by two prison guards. He nodded curtly towards them, and they retreated, locking the door behind him.

He stood in front of the three elves, stiff and formal, his face expressionless, lacking even a hint of empathy for them. Solely here to fulfil his job. He cleared his throat, and waited until all three were looking at him. “I am here to inform you that you are to be tried tomorrow, accused of a crime that falls under the charge of assaulting human nobility. You will be defended by-“

“We don’t need a human lawyer to defend us,” Kallian snapped viciously, cutting his off his nasal droning. “We will defend ourselves!”

The official stared at her, then slightly inclined his head and continued on. “Very well. A jury will decide over your case.” He waited, briefly, but when they didn’t change their minds, he only nodded again, more to himself this time, and knocked against the door.

As soon as he was out of their cell, Shianni collapsed on the floor. “No no no! This is so wrong! It’s all my fault!” She almost choked on a sob. “If I hadn’t hit him in the city hall…”

Kallian gently placed her hand on her cousin’s shoulder. He might still have. Don’t blame yourself for his actions, Shianni.” She looked down at the floor, and added coolly, “I will get us out of here.”

“How?” Valora, quiet up to this point, spoke up. Her voice was shaking a little, showing that she barely kept herself together. “Humans will judge us. Humans who already have no love for us. You saw how the police acted back at the square. How will you get us out of here,” she repeated, brows arched.

Kallian forced her most determined look on her face. If she convinced the others, she could convince herself. “I just will. I promise.”

 

***

 

Early the next day, they were escorted out of their cell. Her father had been there and left them a stack of freshly washed clothes, so they could freshen up before the trial started. They joined with Soris on the way to the court room. “Nelaros is still in our cell,” he whispered under his breath, voice filled with horror, “the guards have beaten him up when he resisted. It was ugly… And I couldn’t help.”

They all arrived in the court room, and faces turned towards them as they were lead to their places. Human faces. The audience, the jury, the reporters… Kallian didn’t recognise a single face, but the expressions were familiar. They hungered for them to be locked away, were sure of it, even. She sighed inwardly. That would be harder than she needed it to be.

They watched as last spectators were ushered to their places. Kallian’s heart beat faster. She felt as comfortable in her clothes as the situation allowed it; her blazer was more formal than she’d normally wear, but this was not a normal occasion. She was thankful that her father had packed it for her. She glanced over, and saw Vaughan, accompanied by his own lawyer. Tailored suit, groomed hair, clean shaved, and above all, utterly human. She averted her gaze and fixated her hands on her lap instead. How could she compete with this?

The judge appeared, opening the trial, and motioned the accusing lawyer to plead his case. Kallian carefully listened to his speech, making mental notes of arguments she might dismantle, lies she could point out, even the speech- and walking patterns of the opposing attorney. It was hard, however, since he painted them as a feral, uncontrollable people. He had probably never took a single step inside their district, but claims to know everything about them, their habits and their nature. The way he spouted hate about them, she instantly realised he’d love to quarantine their whole community, purging them from the city proper. She gripped the edge of her chair so hard her knuckles turned white to keep herself from lashing at him.

Finally, he finished, and the judge looked over to them. Genuine confusion appeared on his face. “Have you not been assigned a lawyer?”

That was her cue. She pushed herself up and returned the gaze. “No, your honour, we declined that offer. We decided to speak for ourselves.” She inclined her head. “We found that only one of our own could defend ourselves appropriately,” she added.

Still looking surprised, the judge nodded, motioning her to continue. Kallian now left her place to pace the court room, as the other lawyer had before. Controlled strides, displaying confidence but not arrogance. She inhaled deeply, and addressed the whole room.

“We are on trial today, because the law was broken. Because we ‘assaulted human nobility’.

“I know of this set of laws; I know, that it originated from the time when our people was kept in the chains of slavery, to punish uprisings against our masters. But listen, honoured jury. Is a law like this still appropriate in our age? Is it appropriate, when Andraste herself had liberated her people and declared us equals under the eyes of the Maker? Because this set of laws serves only to keep us elves down, oppress us, so we ‘know our place’, as it was put before.” She nodded towards the lawyer next to Vaughan. He kept his gaze fixed on his notes. “If humans had been in our situation, they might have been tried for provoking a brawl. If they had been tried at all.

“I can’t fault you for looking out for your own, and I wouldn’t. But I must ask you to consider us as well. I implore you, honoured members of the jury, to think about it.”

She paused, and looked around. Some, in jury and audience alike, clutched their pendants, all holy symbols of the Andraste or the Chantry. Faint murmurs rose in the back of the room, encouraging her to continue.

“This law is only one of many; our people is forbidden to take on most work or to open their own business, yet we are not as supported as humans are who lose their work or their houses. Instead, we are convicted thrice as often for minor felonies and under unclear circumstances as humans, with higher sentences in every case.

“These laws keep us from prospering, and even from protecting ourselves. When our options are ruin and jail in the best cases, I can hardly blame our people for being helpless, frustrated, angry.

“I ask you, is this right? Is this the only way our peoples can exist? One eternally oppressing the other?

“Because I can imagine a world, where humans and elves live and work together. We can benefit from each other, teach each other knowledge, and stories, to further understanding between us. Our city suffers from being divided, but we can make it worthy of being called Ferelden’s capital.

“For this to happen, we need to change. Both humans and elves. We need to rebuild our relationship from scratch, to forge new trust, understanding, justice.

“And we need to abolish this set of laws that discriminate our people. With this constantly looming threat of incarceration for any step we undertake to make our lives more bearable. For this, we need your help,” she extended her hand to the jury, “because we can’t do this alone.”

She hung her head, lowering her voice for the last part, so everyone leaned forward.

“We are on trial today, because the law was broken. Maybe, in the future, this law will affect no one. Maybe, a case like this will be judged differently. But today, I will confess-“ Kallian heard Shianni gasp, and swallowed. They won’t change her mind. She promised to get them out, and she would keep it. In any way she could. “I confess that I assaulted the Vaughan Kendells, the arl of Denerim’s son. I confess, that I punched him in his face, when he threatened to rape my cousin, Valora,” she gestured to the alert looking elves behind her,” and myself during our wedding ceremony, a detail, if I may call it like this, Mr Kendell’s attorney deliberately left out of his speech. I confess that I defended us from his assault with violence, because he would not heed the plea of Mother Boann.” She heard new waves of murmur in the crowd, and when she glanced over to Vaughan, he had scooted back into his seat. The jury was harder to read. Hardly anyone seemed surprised, but a few looked more empathetic. She would take what she could get.

“I will gladly accept any judgement you defer on me, knowing that on this day, I prevented a horrible crime, and hoping that one day, the roles of accuser and accused might be switched in a case like this. However, I acted on impulse, and I acted on my own. I need to disappoint you, but there is no ‘elven conspiracy’ to ‘overthrow the city’.” She looked pointedly at the lawyer, earning a few chuckles from the audience. This time, he had the decency to at least pale slightly, though he still refused to meet her gaze. “The others were not involved. I take full responsibility for this incident.

“Thank you for listening. I trust you to judge us fairly.” She hesitated, wondering whether she should add something, but decided to just bow slightly towards the jury, and returned then back to her place, between her cousins.

They stared at her, aghast, completely ignoring how the jury filed out of the room to decide on their fates.

“You shouldn’t have done this,” Soris hissed into her ear. “Do you really think you will ever leave jail? We could have shared the blame!”

Kallian shook her head, suddenly tired, now that she finished her speech. Exhausted, but she didn’t regret a single word she had said. “We would’ve received the same sentence, Soris, and you know that. I couldn’t let you go to prison on my behalf!” Her voice was harsher than she intended it to be, but at least Soris gave up arguing.

After a short recess, the jury exited their chamber, and one after the other took their place. Except one. Kallian recognised him as the stranger who was present at their wedding. He unfolded a piece of paper and cleared his throat.

“The jury finds Shianni, Valora, Soris and Nelaros from the Denerim alienage to be innocent of all charges.” Kallian felt her cousins next to her slump in their seats, relieve replaced the tension, and the speaker smiled slightly. “We ask for them to be released immediately after this trial, as well as to be compensated by the accusing party. Furthermore, we find that the rift between humans and elves in this city should not be ignored any longer. We suggest to build a taskforce to revaluate the current legal asymmetries as well as the overall living conditions, with the goal of decreasing discrimination. This should be realised by a group consisting of human and elven citizens.

“As for Kallian Tabris form the Denerim alienage,” he paused for a moment, turning towards her. He was still smiling. “We find her to be guilty as charged. However-“ he cleared his throat to silence the whispers in the audience “However, we also acknowledge her motivation for the offense as valid. I, on behalf of Warden Academy, offer her a scholarship for this very institution.”

Kallian sat up abruptly. This was not the direction she had anticipated.

He dismissed the furious outcry coming from Vaughan’s table, and addressed her directly instead, taking a step closer to her place. “If you accept, you will receive high tier education, and a chance to improve your skills. You can return to help your people as their official lawyer, to oversee the changes in this city. If you are interested.”

Kallian stared at him. A part of her had doubted that her confession would save the others, but to be granted an opportunity like this… The corners of her mouth tugged up in a smirk.

“When do I start?”

**Author's Note:**

> So I finally managed to post my second piece in this series! I learned that writing itself isn't that hard ~~but editing is whoops.~~  
>  Anyway, that means I'm two down, with five more to go (because, yes, I think there need to be two Mage origin stories!)
> 
> Also, I have no idea how actual trials work (surprising, I know !), my only (poorly incorporated) reference are *those* TV shows... 
> 
> Again, comments and critique are very much appreciated, as are kudos.
> 
> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it at least a little :) !


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